


i've found someone who makes me feel seasick

by whiskerprince



Series: One Party To Rule Them All [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: !! STANDALONE FIC !!, ...seungmin is very complicated, College AU, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Declarations of Hate, Drunken Shenanigans, Famous-and-Non-Famous AU, Flashbacks, Friends to Almost Lovers to Enemies to Friends (to Lovers), M/M, Misunderstandings, Non-Linear Narrative, jackson throws another damn house party, that get cleared up!!!, the author gets defensive about the timeline of seungmin rapping runner's high and this fic, true stories about panama city florida
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:53:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21741754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskerprince/pseuds/whiskerprince
Summary: Seungmin, absolutely plastered, lowers his mouth to Changbin's ear and shouts loud enough to be heard over the house music playing in the room: "HEY. DO YOU KNOW A GUY NAMED SEO CHANGBIN?"
Relationships: Kim Seungmin/Seo Changbin
Series: One Party To Rule Them All [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566931
Comments: 17
Kudos: 369





	i've found someone who makes me feel seasick

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was intended to be part of the jackson party fic fest (hence the setting), however, as i missed the deadline, you all have it here in a series of standalone party fics, all intended to take place on the same night, at the same party. no knowledge of other fics is necessary aside from the recurring instance of cho seungyoun hatching a plan to build a zipline between jackson's penthouse and the vessel at hudson yards.
> 
> ALSO I MUST PREFACE THIS FIC WITH THE FACT THAT SEUNGMIN RAPPING RUNNER'S HIGH WAS MY IDEA. I HAD WRITTEN THIS FIC BEFORE HE DID IT ON WEEKLY IDOL. I AM CLAIRCOGNIZANT BUT FOR SEUNGBIN CONTENT ONLY. OKAY THANK YOU FOR READING.

Han Jisung, Changbin's best friend and terror of a roommate, hurls his body into the tiny space on the loveseat made by the arm of the sofa and Changbin's tender human body. Normally, Changbin had no trouble handling this kind of chaotic beanie baby behavior, but unlike normal, the last time Changbin had seen Jisung, he was funneling half of the champagne tower down his throat like some kind of reverse Jesus turning wine into water. Which means that when he leaps at Changbin, he's not exactly careful about where his flailing limbs end up. Which also means that Jisung kicks him _hard_ in the shin and knees his thigh enough to leave a bruise.

The end result? Changbin howling and cursing out knobby knees and designer fucking shoes made of fucking rocks to Jisung's blissed-out, drunk-as-a-skunk face.

Except when Changbin takes a good look at Jisung, one arm flung around his shoulder and an entire thigh draped over Changbin's thigh, he finds that the interloper is not in fact Han Jisung, beloved childhood friend and walking tumor, but Kim Seungmin—Pre-Law and International Affairs, legendary hard-ass TA, starring role in the so-called Panama City Crisis. And something approaching a mortal enemy.

Seungmin, absolutely plastered, lowers his mouth to Changbin's ear and shouts loud enough to be heard over the house music playing in the room: "HEY. DO YOU KNOW A GUY NAMED SEO CHANGBIN?"

\---XXX---

Look. Here's the thing. Anyone who even remotely follows Korean pop culture knows Kim Seungmin's name and face. K-Star finalist when he was fifteen; OST for _The Night We Died_ at sixteen; then again at seventeen for the second season; and finally at eighteen he made his solo debut and broke Kang Daniel's record for most albums sold on the first day for a solo artist. Twenty-plus fanmeetings in eight different countries, three more comebacks and five collabs over the next two years, and then he left it all behind to study law in the States. In New York City. At Changbin's university.

Seungmin is rich and overwhelmingly successful and apparently smart enough to get into the Pre-Law program and maybe, if Changbin is squeezed and tickled enough, he will confess that he's had a bit of a crush on Kim Seungmin since he showed up on K-Star with that butt-ugly bowlcut.

But so does everyone else. Seungmin is popular in every college, every major, every department. He always greets people with a toothy smile and a little wave, takes diligent notes in every class—even electives—and hasn't quite shaken the habit to bow to professors and administrators. Everyone has a little bit of a crush on Seungmin. There's even a Kim Seungmin fanclub on campus that buys an ad at Times Square every year for his birthday. Changbin isn't trying to compete with the mutual possession Seungmin fans exert over him. He has no intentions with Seungmin.

Yes, one time he performed with Jisung and Chan at a club and he caught a glimpse of Seungmin standing at the back, beer in hand, shaking his head and mouthing 'wow' at Changbin's verse. And yes, he did go out of his way to shake Seungmin's hand and thank him for coming. Maybe he considered—just for a moment—that he might slip his number into Seungmin's pocket. But the rush of adrenaline from performing crashed just in time for him to realize the impulse was nothing more than fan fervor. He thanked himself later for not embarrassing himself in front of that cool guy.

That's as far as their relationship goes. Singer acknowledges rapper who acknowledges the singer back and they have a good ol' friendly handshake of acknowledgement and Changbin never admits that he owns all of Seungmin's albums and photocards and Seungmin never has to awkwardly accept Changbin's offer to follow his Soundcloud. They move on and keep that one selfie on their phones as proof that they did, in fact, acknowledge each other's existence. Isn't that all any fan wants? Acknowledgement, and that's it.

That's how it was supposed to be.

\---XXX---

Seungmin burns feverish against Changbin's side. He smells like sweat and tequila and artificial strawberries and puke, but that's because the entire room smells faintly of puke. He's flushed from his cheeks all the way down to his neck where it peeks out from his white T-shirt and jean jacket. The weight of Seungmin's leg on his and the heat pouring off his body make Changbin want to puke from pure suffocation, but the hair on his arms still stands up when Seungmin puffs against his ear.

"HEY. YOU KNOW SEO CHANGBIN, RIGHT? HEY."

What a preposterous situation to be in. What a horrible, miserable, fucking—it's Panama City all over again except Changbin isn't drunk enough to enjoy it for the few hours he's conscious.

"Uh," Changbin says. "We're acquainted...I guess."

Seungmin lets out a long sigh that makes Changbin squirm and says, "WHAT A JERK, AM I RIGHT? WHAT A COMPLETE AND UTTER JERK."

It really is Panama City again. "Well—"

"HAVE YOU SEEN HIS FUCKING EYES? LIKE, WHAT'S WITH THAT?"

Changbin opens his mouth, then closes it. Dumbfounded, he says, "Pardon me?"

"HAVE YOU EVER JUST, LIKE, LOOKED INTO HIS EYES? THEY'RE DARK AND SPARKLY LIKE SOME FUCKING—FUCKING—NOT AGATE, THE OTHER FUCKING—"

"Onyx?"

"YEAH. LIKE SOME POLISHED FUCKING ONY—WAIT HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?"

"We were in GEO1101 together."

"OH. HAVE I SEEN YOU BEFORE?"

At this point, Seungmin tries and fails to prop himself up to look at Changbin and Changbin, panicking, shoves Seungmin's cheek back down against his shoulder, heart racing.

"OW. WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

Changbin glares at the person on his other side, Hyunjin, who is chatting with and fluttering his eyelashes at Daehwi, coyly perched on the other arm of the loveseat. "Dude," Changbin says. "Can you go get it on somewhere else?"

Hyunjin whips around, brows furrowed. "We are not—"

"Okay, whatever, but I am being crushed to death by _Kim Seungmin_ and you owe me for helping you study for the chem final," Changbin grunts.

Hyunjin raises his eyebrows and peers around Changbin. "Holy shit," he says. "It really is Kim Seungmin. But I thought last spring break you guys—"

" _Thanks for understanding my situation goodbye now_ ," Changbin says in a rush.

"Oh!" Daehwi says, blinking at Changbin. "You're the one who got arrested on the Panama City trip."

"I was only _detained_ ," Changbin grumbles.

"C'mon, baby," Daehwi says, pulling at Hyunjin's arm. "Let's spy on them from across the room."

"You are not as cute as Hyunjinnie makes you sound," Changbin says.

"That's my charm," Daehwi says, blowing Changbin a kiss and successfully extricating Hyunjin from the loveseat.

Changbin butt-scoots to the left to free himself of Seungmin's weight, but having accepted Changbin's shoulder as a pillow, Seungmin is completely relaxed. He whines when Changbin shifts over too much, grabbing onto his arm.

"You can lean against me, just—just give me a second," Changbin reasons with him. "Here—now you aren't crushing me or falling off the couch. Put your head back down."

Seungmin obediently lays his head on Changbin's shoulder but doesn't seem inclined to give up the arm he has snatched. At least Changbin's legs aren't sweating anymore and only Seungmin's upper body is touching his. He awkwardly pats Seungmin's hair and gets an angry hiss for his efforts. Changbin rolls his eyes. "You don't have to keep screaming, either," he says. "I can hear you just fine now that Hyunjin and Daehwi are gone."

"Oh," Seungmin says. "Okay. What was I talking about again?"

Changbin could get out of it. He could run right now, give Seungmin a red herring—something like dragnet fishing or lobster poaching—to throw him off and get him all riled up about instead. He doesn't have to sit through Seungmin telling Changbin how much he hates him and how deeply he was humiliated by Changbin's stupid, drunk and love-drunk past self. He doesn't have to give Seungmin his number.

But Seungmin hasn't spoken to him since that trip. Maybe, deep down, he hates himself for chickening out on giving Seungmin his number. And even if it's a rant from someone Changbin used-to-kind-of-sort-of know, he'd like to hear his name in Seungmin's mouth again.

"You were talking about this guy, Seo Changbin."

\---XXX---

The spring break trip to Panama City, Florida was run by the Marine Biology department of their university in association with the Biology department of Florida State University. Open to all majors, it offered an opportunity to learn more about conservation in the Gulf of Mexico with hands-on labs and boat trips, plus a diving excursion to Devil's Den for those who were SCUBA certified. Seungmin signed up because his focus in law was international ocean conservation and marine sanctuaries. Changbin signed up because he liked sharks.

He didn't even know Seungmin would be on the trip until he was seated on the charter bus taking them to LGA and Seungmin's hand closed around the edge of the seat in front of him and Seungmin said, bashfully, "Hey, mind if I sit there?"

Changbin had scrambled so fast to tear off his headphones and stand up so Seungmin could squeeze past him and into the window seat.

"Sorry," Seungmin said around his doggy neck pillow. "I think I recognize you from somewhere and I don't really know anyone else on this trip, so..."

"The underground club, yeah," Changbin said, pulling his cap a little farther down his face. "I was with the guys performing a couple of our tracks."

"Oh," Seungmin said. "I was thinking of Intro to Geology. That was you at the club?"

Changbin, of course, knew Seungmin was in his section of GEO1101, the same way everyone in their ninety-person lecture hall knew Seungmin was in their class. He didn't expect Seungmin to recognize him _back_. The back of his neck began to heat up. "Uh, yeah. That was me."

"Dude!" Seungmin said, slapping Changbin on the shoulder and laughing. "You are incredible! I've never seen anyone spit fire like that." He held a hand up to his mouth and bobbed his head in an imitation of what was probably supposed to be a skilled rapper. Changbin's heart wrung itself dry.

They didn't end up on the plane next to each other or as roommates at the seaside hotel in Panama City, but their rooms were right next to each other, which meant Seungmin was free to cling to Changbin like a barnacle and invade his room whenever he felt like it. Even Changbin's actual roommate, who regularly gave Seungmin the stink eye, couldn't find it in himself to ask Seungmin to leave. At the labs, on the boat trips, during the day when they were free to roam the town and beaches at their leisure—Seungmin stayed by Changbin's side. And Changbin...

Last nights are for getting drunk. Last nights always result in bad decisions. Desperation compounded with alcohol, leading to a technicolor vomit mess of feelings and shouting and sex and actual vomit.

Sitting at the outside hotel bar, seated at a table for two, hot wind sweeping over the sand and ruffling their bangs, Changbin thought he knew everything. Seungmin's knee touched his, just a brush, but he left it there. They were laughing too much at jokes that weren't funny and drinking rum punch from a plastic bucket with two paper straws. Seungmin kept looking at Changbin's arms. Changbin kept looking at Seungmin's mouth around his straw. Jimmy Buffet played in between Bob Marley in the background and in that moment Kim Seungmin wasn't a world-famous K-POP star and Seo Changbin wasn't a nobody classmate from Intro to Geology. They were just Seungmin and Changbin, and when Seungmin rolled his eyes at Changbin's latest pun and took his wrist, pulling him to his feet and towards the hotel, Changbin thought he knew what it meant.

\---XXX---

"It's like—" Seungmin pauses. "Well you know. _Him_. How he is."

"Uh-huh," Changbin says.

"All black clothes, even when it hits the 90's here! Ridiculous. Dark clothes, dark aesthetic—even his musi—wait, have you listened to his music before? I can play it for you."

Changbin blinks. "You know his music? Like, you listen to it?"

"Listen to it?" Seungmin snorts. "Dude. I got that shit downloaded. Can't risk his little rap trio disbanding and deleting all their music. What the fuck would I listen to then?"

Changbin tries to process that while Seungmin fumbles to pull up Soundcloud on his phone. His fingers mash the keyboard sloppily but he manages to navigate to 3RACHA's page, squinting at the songs.

"Here," Changbin says, taking Seungmin's phone from him. "Which song do you want me to play? I can do it."

" _I_ can do it," Seungmin grumbles, but after a moment, proudly declares, " _Runner's High_. It's in the album that has...the chickens or something..."

"I can find it," Changbin says, pulling up _J:/2017/mixtape_ without any trouble. "This your favorite song?"

"No," Seungmin huffs. He toys with the strings hanging off his jacket. "But it's the first song I ever heard by 3RACHA. And I thought he looked...nevermind. Just listen to it! It's so dark, right? What is with this guy? The tracks he produces are so dark-sounding too."

The embarrassment Changbin feels from playing his own track at full blast from Seungmin's phone is indescribable. He wants to crawl out of his own skin, partially because Hyunjin and Daehwi are doubled over across the room, poorly disguising their laughter with hands over their mouths, and partially because Seungmin is leaning back against him now, long legs thrown over the edge of the sofa but he _still_ hasn't given up Changbin's arm.

"Hold on," Seungmin says. "This is his part."

Changbin closes his eyes as his verse starts. This is it. Rock fucking bottom. Snuggled up with Kim Seungmin, who still hates him and is telling Changbin exactly how much he hates him, while Changbin still has feelings for him, while they listen to Changbin's old music played loudly in a room full of his colleagues. Does Seungyoun have the zipline set up yet? Changbin needs a quick escape.

"Before that happens," Seungmin says, and Changbin jumps, sure that Seungmin has somehow read his mind.

"Running on this road is too much for me," Seungmin mumbles under his breath. "Now I'm running on it, my adrenaline rises—"

Changbin blinks. Seungmin is rapping along to his verse. Tripping over his words and not enunciating anything, but he definitely knows the words and is keeping up with the song and Changbin's pace.

"How...do you know that verse?" Changbin asks slowly.

"I wanted to see how hard it was," Seungmin sniffs. "And his is the hardest, so."

_And his is the hardest, so_. Like that was any explanation. "But...why go that far? Why not Jisung or Chan's parts? You hate the guy, so why would you learn his part just to try rapping?"

Seungmin sticks his chin out. "I'm competitive. And his part is the best. And—hey, wait a second! I never said I hated him!"

"Don't you?" Changbin says dubiously.

"Well." Seungmin shifts against Changbin's side. "Yeah. But I don't, like, want him to die or anything."

Great.

"What's wrong with a dark aesthetic, anyway?" Changbin asks. "It's just his style. If you like it so much, why are you complaining?"

Seungmin sighs loudly. "It's not the aesthetic that bothers me. If he wants to be a cool, tough rapper he can do whatever he wants. But he should commit to it. Not..."

"Not what?"

"Not be a fucking hypocrite," Seungmin mutters. "He acts so cool on stage and walking around campus and in class but then you get to know him and he's just..."

"Just what?"

" _Cute!_ " Seungmin explodes. "He's cute and polite and a really sweet guy and he loves to play around and he does silly little dances and tells really awful jokes and always buys stuff for his juniors and never complains when you ask him for a favor and he's smart and talented and—" Seungmin takes a few deep breaths. "And you wouldn't know any of that from just looking at him. It's not _fair_. His entire existence is a _trap_."

Changbin swallows. "I mean, aren't lots of people—"

"And he's so good-looking!" Seungmin continues. "When my friends showed me pictures of 3RACHA, I wasn't so sure, but then when I saw him in person I nearly had a heart attack from how handsome he is. With his fucking...face. And...arms."

"Everyone has a face and arms—"

"It's like, we get it, okay?" Seungmin throws his arms in the air, nearly smacking Changbin in the face. "'Look at me, I'm Seo Changbin, my generation's greatest rapper, oh wait, did you know I can sing? Oh wait, on top of that I'm the kind of person your parents want to invite back over and over! And on top of _that,_ I'm a sexy little thing and I can make you fall in love as soon as you look in my _eyes!_ '"

Seungmin lets Changbin's arm go and his head slips into Changbin's lap. He puffs softly, face fully flushed, and he can't meet Changbin's eyes. He swallows thickly, and his throat bobs.

"Seungmin," Changbin says quietly. "Could it be that you're...in love with Seo Changbin?"

"Maybe I _am_ ," Seungmin says miserably. "Not that it fucking matters anymore."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Changbin asks, heart kicking hard. "It matters. It matters so much."

"After everything that happened in Panama City?" Seungmin snorts. "Stop joking around. We were through before anything had a chance to happen."

"But," Changbin says. "But I thought—"

\---XXX---

Seungmin pulled Changbin into the elevator, spinning him around to push him against the wall and chase after, boxing him in. Changbin opened his mouth to ask if it's okay, if he can really, to Seungmin, but Seungmin was faster. Sweaty palms cupped Changbin's face with contrary tenderness to the shoving around. Seungmin's exhale touched Changbin's lips a moment before his mouth, a sweet and dry kiss before Seungmin ran his tongue over both their lips, desire hitting Changbin like a slap to the face. Seungmin kissed him again, still sweet, but with every slide of their lips together, less sweet. Melting into burning.

"Seungmin," Changbin panted in between kisses. "Minnie."

Seungmin responded with a knee between his thighs.

" _Kim Seungmin_ ," Changbin hissed. "In order for an elevator to work, you need to press a button."

Seungmin leaned back, eyes unfocused. "Oh," he said intelligently. Changbin laughed as Seungmin stumbled back to the control panel, pressing the button for the fourth floor and accidentally catching the fifth and seventh too.

"I'm a little drunk," Seungmin sighed, migrating back to Changbin and leaning on his shoulder.

"I think we both are," Changbin said, rolling his eyes. "It was an entire _bucket_."

Seungmin laughed.

When the elevator doors opened, it was Changbin pulling Seungmin out, still laughing, in the direction of their rooms. Changbin fumbled for the room key with his head against the door. Fishing it out of his pocket, he realized Seungmin was not by his side, but a little farther down the hall in front of his own room and fumbling for his own room key.

"Hey," Changbin called. "I got mine."

Seungmin rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, just have me over at this time of night. What would your roommate think?"

"You've been over before," Changbin said.

"This is different."

"He's in town tonight. Won't be back for a while."

"No way! I'm not going. Where the hell is my room key..."

Changbin tilted his head to the side, face falling a little. "You mean...have I misunderstood something? I thought you—"

" _Changbin_ ," Seungmin groaned. "I'm too drunk to debate about this. Just help me find my room key."

Feeling slapped in the face for a whole different reason, Changbin moved to Seungmin's side and helped him shake out his clothes and pat down his pockets.

"Where could it have gone?" Seungmin wondered. "I always keep it on me. Unless—oh no."

"What?" Changbin asked.

"I lent it to Tristan earlier today because he left the lab report in my room," Seungmin groaned. "And I forgot to get it back from him."

Seungmin buried his face in his hands. "What are we going to do? This sucks so bad. I need that card..."

_This sucks so bad._ How could he have said that when Changbin was right in front of him, after everything that had happened in the elevator? Was Changbin really so repulsive?

It felt like swallowing glass, but Changbin said: "You can still come to my room. We won't do anything, okay? Just come in and wait for them to come back. You can take my bed and nap. I'll sleep on the floor."

"You don't have to—"

"Come on," Changbin said, turning away.

Seungmin tried to engage with him a few more times, but Changbin was too hurt to give him more than one-word answers and eventually Seungmin turned over and went to sleep. It was unbearable. Changbin could imagine his roommate walking in and having to explain everything. It made him want to die. If that was the case, he would rather that Seungmin just get out and leave him to sniffle in peace. But Seungmin couldn't get in through the door.

It was a mixture of heartbreak and lingering alcohol in his system that compelled Changbin to climb out onto the balcony and scale the distance between their two balconies. He managed the climb, and Seungmin's balcony door was open, but when Changbin finished having a little cry in Seungmin's bathroom, he opened the door to hotel security and law enforcement.

As it turned out, someone had seen Changbin scaling balconies and alerted hotel security, who alerted the police. As it also turned out, balcony scaling was massively illegal and also counted as breaking and entering. Needless to say, Changbin spent the night in custody, shell-shocked, and it was only with the help of his professors who vouched for his character and the identity of the student next door, as well as his own explanation of the horrible fucking night that Changbin was let off with a warning. And a reputation for being a delinquent, a rabid Kim Seungmin fan, and crazy.

Seungmin had quietly dispelled the rumors of Changbin being a pervert on his own, and Changbin's gentle disposition and steadfast friends helped to clear up the rest, but the truths of that evening remained. Kim Seungmin had led Seo Changbin on, metaphorically spit on his face, and created an atmosphere so unbearable that Changbin had tried to escape out the balcony. And Seo Changbin had tried to get lucky with Kim Seungmin and when he failed, ended up creating a scary stalker rumor that followed Seungmin around for months after spring break ended.

Unless...?

\---XXX---

"But I thought you made a mistake," Changbin says. "You didn't want to get with Seo Changbin. It was a drunken accident that you kissed him."

"I wasn't that drunk," Seungmin mumbles.

Changbin blinks rapidly. "What?"

"I _said_ ," Seungmin sighs, "I wasn't that drunk. Who gets so drunk that they kiss someone without meaning it? I'm not an idiot."

"So you...you wanted to...?"

"To what?" Seungmin sniffs. His cheeks are so red. "To sleep with him? Of course I did." Shoving his face in his shirt, he mumbles, "Obviously."

Changbin's jaw drops open. "But you—but you said—you were so adamant about that fucking room key—"

"Well, duh!" Seungmin says. "Changbin had a roommate. I didn't. Of course we would use my room to..."

Changbin is an idiot. Changbin is the biggest fucking idiot on the planet. Seungmin had told him to his face that he didn't want to hang out in his own room alone. Because ultimately, Kim Seungmin is still a celebrity, and celebrities get afforded their own rooms. Seungmin wasn't trying to get away from Changbin; it was just that Seungmin had an empty room, so they would be able to...to...

"To..." Seungmin mumbles. "You know."

"Oh my god," Changbin says. "You just didn't want to be disturbed. You were worried about m—his roommate walking in on you." He eyes Seungmin. "How long were you planning to have sex with Seo Changbin?"

" _I don't know!_ " Seungmin squeaks, hiding his face again. "A long time, I guess? Why are you even asking?"

"But..." Changbin binks. "Even if it was just a little...you could've done something when you were in his room. Before his roommate came back."

"I tried," Seungmin says in a tiny voice. "I tried to talk to him, but he shut me down so hard. That's why I hate Seo Changbin. I liked him so much, but he only wanted to get lucky with me. And when he couldn't, he escaped through the balcony. Like, he was so afraid I would catch him and make him stay that he didn't even use the _door_."

Scratch that, Changbin isn't just an idiot, he's also a terrible person. No wonder Seungmin never spoke to him again. Jesus Christ.

"Maybe he thought you didn't want to, you know," Changbin says, petting Seungmin's hair. "Since you were so insistent to get into your room."

"Maybe," Seungmin says doubtfully. "But he knew I didn't have a roommate."

"If he was drunk, he could've forgotten."

"How could you mistake it, though," Seungmin whispers. "How could he mistake how into him I was?"

Changbin remembers Seungmin's knee against his. He remembers knuckles brushing as they walked along the beach. Wrestling on his floor. An arm thrown around his shoulders and tugging him close. Seungmin's hands on his face, Seungmin's mouth on his mouth. How out of it he had been when he pulled away. How, indeed.

"Anyway, that was then," Seungmin huffs. "Now he's my number one enemy!"

"Understandable," Changbin says, dragging his nails over Seungmin's scalp.

"He doesn't deserve skin as clear as his!"

"No, definitely not."

"And his voice is so pretty, like, what's with that?"

"Hardly seems fair."

"And I still want him to make music for me, even after everything he put me through."

"Oh, that's just the worst."

Seungmin calms down under Changbin's ministrations, still a little pink but looking less angry-and-drunk and more sleepy-and-tipsy. He blinks slowly, looking across the room, mind clearly a thousand miles away. Changbin clears his throat to get Seungmin's attention.

"Still," Changbin says softly. "Even though he's the worst and he broke your heart and caused you so much trouble, do you think maybe, if he apologized and came back to you, do you think you could bear to give him a second chance?"

Seungmin thinks for a long moment, toying with his jacket strings again. "The thing is..."

"Yeah?"

"The thing is...Changbinnie, he..." Seungmin says. "He had this warmth and light about him. Even though he loves black clothes and edgy sounds in his music, Seo Changbin the person was always bursting with light. He was so kind to me. That sudden change...it doesn't make any sense. Could he really have been playing the long game since we met? I don't think he's that kind of person."

Changbin swallows thickly.

Seungmin draws his jacket tighter around him. "That's why I'm hurt, really. And why I can't get over him. I just don't understand. And I feel like it's too late to ask him why."

"It's never too late," Changbin says.

"You're a really nice senior to me," Seungmin says. "Thank you for listening. I'm really sleepy though, so I think I should—"

"You can sleep right here," Changbin says. "You are no trouble to me."

"Oh, really?" Seungmin yawns. "Okay, then. I'm going to sleep, hyung."

Changbin watches over Seungmin's peaceful, slightly drooling face until his own eyes flutter shut and he no longer has the strength to keep them open.

\---XXX---

"Oh, good, you're awake."

Chan's voice rouses Changbin and he squeezes his eyes shut and rubs at them. He feels like hell. Pounding headache, massive cramp in his neck, full body sweats. Is he feverish? He can't fucking feel his legs. Then his legs start moving of their own accord and he opens his eyes to see Seungmin squirming awake, half his body in Changbin's lap.

"Oh," Chan says, noticing Seungmin as he walks around the couch. "I see he finally found you. Only took bothering nine, nineteen other people about Seo Changbin. Do you know Seo Changbin, what do you know about Seo Changbin, can you direct me to Seo Changbin—the works."

"Shuddup," Changbin groans. "What fucking time is it?"

"Four in the morning," Chan says cheerfully. "I was just helping Bambam clean up a little. He lost a bet or something, so he's in charge of making sure Jackson's place is technically intact."

Four in the morning, but there are still people milling around and drinks being poured and music playing. Everything is a little more subdued, no dancing, no crazy stunts, but it is still a party in full swing. Lord have mercy. "I'll help this one get home."

"Sure that's a good idea?" Chan asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Changbin says, glowering. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

Chan raises his hands and walks away. "Your life, bro. People are gonna talk if they see you two together no matter the context."

"Don't need your help," Seungmin gripes, his eyes still closed. "I can call a cab on my own, hyung, so just—" He cuts himself off and flips onto his back, eyes still closed. "Wait, who even are you?"

"Someone," Changbin says, "who cares."

Seungmin opens his eyes. And immediately pales.

"Oh, fuck," he says. He puts a hand over his mouth. "Did I really say all that?"

"That, uh, depends on how much you remember saying," Changbin says. "But...probably."

"Oh, god," Seungmin squeaks. "I told you I love you."

Changbin tries and fails to fight the flush across his cheeks. "You also told me you hate me."

"That one!" Seungmin says, flailing his hands in Changbin's face. "That's the right one! It's hate, it's definitely hate, I totally hate you so much, hyung—I mean Seo Changbin—you're my mortal enemy and I hate you!"

"Seungmin," Changbin says. He catches Seungmin by the wrists. " _Seungmin_."

" _What,_ " Seungmin says. "Are you going to make fun of me? Call me pathetic?"

"I didn't—" Changbin takes a deep breath. "I didn't hear anything. You never said anything embarrassing to me. Never said anything you didn't want to tell me in your own time. I'm just here to apologize."

Seungmin is quiet.

"I'm sorry for misunderstanding you, and for jumping to conclusions. I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings for so long. I'm sorry I didn't think about how you would have felt. I'm sorry I mistook all the signs you carefully laid out for me." Changbin offers Seungmin a small smile. "But if it's okay with you, I'd like to try being friends again."

Seungmin eyes him. " _Just_ friends?"

"Um." Changbin feels the flush spread to his neck. "For now, at least."

Seungmin squints harder. "But how do I know you—"

"I do," Changbin says. "So much. Since the very beginning."

Now it's Seungmin's turn to flush.

"But, uh," Changbin says, "since we haven't really talked in over a year, it's better if we start slow, right?"

"Right," Seungmin agrees. And then, in a stronger voice. "Right."

He furrows his eyebrows and locks fingers with Changbin. "But just for the record, so nothing gets mistaken, I like you, okay? I like you a lot. Don't date anyone else but me, got it? I'll be really mad."

"Okay," Changbin says, smiling harder. He squeezes Seungmin's hands. "Nobody else, but you."

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  [fancy joining me in the eternal wait for seungbin collab official release?](https://www.twitter.com/whiskerprince)   
>    
>  the story about balcony climbing really happened and the kid really did get detained by the cops! i slept through it all. god bless.


End file.
